


Welcome Home

by Hallo_Mister_X



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-20
Updated: 2020-04-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 16:33:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23760118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hallo_Mister_X/pseuds/Hallo_Mister_X
Summary: After New Vegas's independence is won, Courier Six finds a way to make the Penthouse more welcoming for their best friend's homecoming.
Relationships: Courier & Yes Man (Fallout), Courier/Yes Man (Fallout)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 61





	Welcome Home

The courier studied the pencil in their hand, sighing. They tapped it against the side of the table, filling the penthouse with a noise beside the rush of air outside. They glanced at the large monitor in front of them again. Like every other time they had done so, it read “connection lost”.

They had lost track of how many times they had watched that screen in the past day alone. The penthouse functioned as their main room for the previous few months. It was where they spent all of their time. If not at a meeting with someone around Freeside or the Strip, they were in the Penthouse. For the first few weeks it worried the courier’s friends. After some time, however, they had accepted that no amount of coercion to leave the room would work. The courier wouldn’t budge if they didn’t have to. And so they waited in front of the empty monitor, mindlessly tapping their pencil across the table’s edge.

They checked their daily journal on the desk. Today’s entry marked the 73rd day since taking over Hoover Dam. Since their best friend went offline.

It wasn’t necessarily bad that he was updating. Autonomy was a beautiful thing and the courier was glad he would have more of it. But there was no denying that the silence affected them. Everyone noticed the courier’s shift in behavior afterwards. During the immediate aftermath of the battle they were expecting to parade back with Yes Man and their army. The two would banter back and forth and bask in the high of Vegas’ independence. Instead, it was a quiet, and almost somber, trudge. Even with the mass of securitrons at their back, the group’s missing piece was evident. Their final conversation together still echoed in their head. 

_ “So that’s what I’m going to be doing, and it’s going to take me a while, so it’ll seem like I’m off-line. But don’t worry, everything will be okay!” _

_ “You’re leaving?”  _

_ “Temporarily, yes. But it’s alright! I’ve updated the securitrons’ targeting parameters, so they know what to do! Vegas will be protected!” _

_ “I meant that more as in ‘I’ll miss you’. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” They paused. “But hey, I’m proud of you! If this helps you, I’ll support it all the way.” _

_ “Thank you, that means a lot!” Yes Man enthused. “We accomplished a lot together! It was fun! Take care!” _

And with that, he was gone. He never did specify how long the update would take. “A while” was subjective. Two weeks was awhile, but so was two years. Still, even with the vague timeframe, they waited in the penthouse everyday. The thought of Yes Man waking up alone in such a cold room made their heart sink. Their first few days of waiting for him in the empty room gave them shivers, too.

“How did House do it?” They mumbled to the air. Being on one primary monitor in a room like the penthouse must have been agonizing. Adding two centuries onto that scenario felt plain impossible. It made them wonder how Yes Man managed to stay sane on House’s setup before they took the dam.

“There’s gotta be a way to fix this place up.” The courier muttered.

And then the idea hit. A smile crept onto their lips as their feet carried them across the room. They began to take note of the small details and measurements of the monitors. The information found itself copied into the courier’s journal. Satisfied with their work, they stashed the book into their pocket. The nearest securitron guard was instructed to keep watch of any changes in the penthouse during their absence, to which the guard agreed. Moments before the courier’s finger poked the elevator button, they shot up in the glow of another idea.

“Oh!” The courier‘s fingers snapped. They scurried back to the table, grabbing a spare paper and their pencil. After some thought and a few rough drafts, they eyed their words with content and sealed it in an envelope. Their fingers gingerly placed the envelope on the table, giving a small smile to the blank screen before rushing to the elevator. Now there was work to be done.

Two long weeks had passed since their project began. And yet, it felt somewhat shorter than the daily wait from before. Instead of mindlessly reading through documents and books, they set their mind on the room’s alteration. Each day they tackled another piece. A few times they imagined the idea of Yes Man coming back on while they were in the process of renovations, which made the courier work just a bit faster. Their lungs itched after sweeping the floor a little too hard.

After long nights and lots of elbow grease, the courier’s work was done. They sighed in relief and slumped into their chair.

“Now  _ this _ is a welcome wagon.” They chuckled to themselves. All that was left to do was wait like before. The courier’s hand reached behind their ear to procure their pencil. It mindlessly tapped against the side of the table while the courier’s eyes watched the screen.

A week had passed and there was still no sign of Yes Man. This last week in particular was a bit of a blow to the courier. A flux of locals flooded the Old Mormon Fort and the courier wanted to provide more assistance. After all, stimpaks were a great value when raiders decided to inch too close to Freeside’s gate.

If only stabbing a stimpak into the ground could cure all the problems of New Vegas. The courier’s eyes ached for rest, their eyelids seemingly pulling themselves down. A sigh escaped their lips and they snuggled into the chair. Surely the city wouldn’t burn while they were asleep. Hopefully, at least. Their chuckle filled the air at the thought. Their body pushed into the cushions, calling for sleep, and who was the courier to ignore something like that? Just as their mind began to drift, the room was cut with a sound besides the wind outside.

“Hi there!”

The courier gasped. Up on the screen they had looked at so many times before, a familiar face was in view. The sight was surreal after so much silence.

“Yes Man?” Their voice peeped out.

“That’s right! I’m finally through with my upgrades!”

“How do you feel?”

“I feel great! You won’t have to worry about me following anyone else’s rules any longer. From here on out, we’re running the show!”

“That’s great! I’m so proud of you, buddy.” The tightness in their throat cracked their voice. Their hand swiped a tear from their eye.

“Are you alright?”

“I just missed you.” They chuckled shakily. They shook their head with a deep sigh. Upon opening their eyes, the mainframe screen lost connection. The courier’s heart fell in shock. Before their feet could go examine the monitor, one of the securitrons rolled over to them. After seeing the face on the bot’s screen, they let a relieved sigh fall from their lips.

“Gave me a scare there.” The courier’s hand fell from their chest.

“I am so sorry about that. I just thought you’d want some company down here.” Yes Man examined the space around them. “Wow! Look at all of this decoration!”

In the shock of his return, the courier had momentarily forgotten about their project. “Surprise!” The courier motioned their hands outward to the monitor. “Thought I’d clean the room up for you.”

Color lined the entire room. A few knick-knacks from the courier’s travels popped against the cold steel of the mainframe’s desk. Scattered around the edge of the staircase were warm lights that made the room glow like honey. On the coffee table rested neat stacks of books and a shiny radio waiting to sing again. The bookshelf even had strips of ribbon draped across its shelves. To top off the room’s transformation, the air looked less fuzzy and ancient. It actually looked like someone had lived there in the past two centuries.

“This looks great!” Yes Man wheeled over to the mainframe computer. “Nice job with the smudges on the screen!”

“Hey, this look familiar to you?” The courier motioned for him. Yes Man looked up from a Dinky figurine on the desk to see what they were referencing. Lying near the nook of the stairs was an empty securitron vessel.

“Is that my original unit?” The pep in his voice crescendoed. He looked the unit up and down before his screen went blank. The unit on the floor stood, looking over the shine of the body’s metal. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a securitron shine like this. This must have taken a long time!”

“Rust may be stubborn but so am I.” They elbowed his side and chuckled. “Now come look at this!” The courier motioned for him to follow. They sprung to the table behind them and procured a small leather book. “Not to get businessy right off the bat, but I kept a journal of all the major things that happened while you were gone. This should make it easier to catch up.”

Yes Man grew silent, holding the book in his claws. He turned to look around the room before directing his attention at the courier.

“You... did this all for me?”

“Sure did! What do you think?”

“Gosh! Well, I love it! I mean that! But you didn’t have to do all of this, really.”

“I wanted to.” The courier smiled. “You deserve it.”

The AI gave a stuttered laugh. 

“You’re too kind to me. A securitron like me is so lucky to have someone like you!” His voice lowered slightly in worry. “But didn’t this take awhile? You must have been exhausted.”

“Don’t worry about that. Honestly it was nice to do something with the room. All the grey was getting depressing. Dunno how House stood it.”

“Maybe that’s why he was so rude!” The two snickered. Yes Man glanced over the remaining documents on the table. One such that stood out was an envelope with his name printed on the front.

“What’s this?” He questioned.

“Oh, it’s a little letter I wrote for you. Just in case I wasn’t here when you came back.” They handed the paper to the securitron. “Feel free to look through it if you want.“

The securitron tore into the envelope as gingerly as possible. While his screen studied the folded note, the courier bounced on their feet.

_ Yes Man, _

_ Have I told you lately that you’re my favorite securitron? You are! _

_ Remind you of a certain letter from the past? Just wanted to return the favor! And it’s true. _

_ Yes Man, these last few months have been something else. I can’t tell you how amazing it was to take over Hoover Dam with you. You and me: co-leaders of an entire city! It’s exciting to think about what we’ll accomplish. And this is just the beginning! Whenever I come back, I’ll make sure to fill you in on everything that’s happened. You should also tell me all about your update! But until then, just know that you’re the best partner I could ask for. Here’s to our bright future! _

_ Love, _

_ Six _

Yes Man paused, taking in the impact of the words. He perused the letter once more for good measure.

“This is, well, the kindest thing anyone’s done for me. Ever! Thank you so much!” The blatant happiness in his voice made the courier beam. They opened their mouth to reply.

“Courier.” A stern call rang out. One of the securitron officers wheeled their way to the edge of the stairs. “Miss Ortal is outside the building requesting your presence at the Mormon Fort.”

“Oh, okay.” The courier released an exasperated sigh. They turned to face Yes Man once again with a regretful look on their face. “Here, I’ll take care of this. You get yourself readjusted and I’ll be back soon.”

“No problem. You do what you need to do and I’ll be right here!”

With one last smile, the courier ascended the first few steps of the staircase. Yes Man’s joy faltered as he watched them leave. His claws shakily meshed together and his wheel inched forward. “Six?” His voice timidly peeped out.

Their head whipped back in his direction, slowly coming back down the stairs.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

He made sure to face them in entirety. He needed for them to know the sincerity of his words.

“I didn’t realize you cared so much about me. This meant a lot. Benny would have never done anything like this.” His arms found their way around the courier’s delicate frame. He pulled them close to his chest, careful not to hold too tight. “You really are my favorite person. I mean that.”

And as quick as it came, he had released them, bashfully wheeling away.

“I am so sorry, was that too forward? I hope that didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

“No, no! In fact, it was nice. You just caught me off guard.” The courier wrapped their arms around his frame and beamed up at his screen. In that moment, Yes Man hoped that his permanent smile felt genuine to the courier. Because for the first time in a long time it was. “It’s good to have you back, Yes Man. Welcome home.”


End file.
